Oh where, oh where can Staten Islanders play tennis?

Advance photo/Hilton FloresLito Abrigo of Castleton Corners plays tennis at Silver Lake Park. Interested in playing? For information on how to get a permit, e-mail shores@siadvance.com.

With the 2008 U.S. Open kicking into high gear in Flushing Meadows, Queens, tennis is on the tip of every local sports enthusiast's tongue right now.

In fact after watching Jelena Jankovic post a stirring comeback win and Novak Djokovic shrug off an ankle injury to cruise into the second round yesterday, most probably can't wait to grab a racquet and lob some volleys of their own.

Good luck.

Across the four Shores, the Island is a barren wasteland when it comes to tennis courts.

"Its a shame," said Grymes Hill resident Tom Carlson, head of the Staten Island Tennis Association. "People are very interested in the game, but you have to get there for a couple of hours at a time to [keep the interest up] and to become a very good player."

For most area racquet enthusiasts, that means private membership.

The other four boroughs are teeming with places to play.

In keeping with the U.S. Open theme, Queens has 222 public indoor and outdoor courts within its boundaries, or one court for every 10,000 people.

Believe it or not, but that makes it the most accessible borough for tennis aficionados.

Manhattan's 112 courts and Brooklyn's 185 gives each area one for every 14,000 people, while the Bronx, with 90 courts, holds one for every 15,500.

Staten Island, despite being known as the "Borough of Parks" -- or unofficially as the 'country club' by some Parks Department employees -- has just 20 courts. That means one for every 24,000 Islanders.

The numbers don't lie. In this borough, players need to serve up some serious dough if they want to serve up some balls.

"Even if you have a permit, it's not easy to get a court," said Carlson, who regularly gives lessons at sites that require pricey private memberships. "The population has grown so much and we haven't added anything. The South Shore? Two courts there? It's impossible."

However, it is the East Shore that might as well be the Sahara Desert for tennis players. There isn't one single public net for any of the 116,000 persons within the district to use.

With only two nets up at Wolfe's Pond Park, the South Shore can provide one court for every 64,318 people. That's the second worst ratio on the Island.

The North Shore holds 10 courts between Walker Park's six, Silver Lake Park's four and Skyline Park's two, giving it one for every 11,200 residents.

Over on the West Shore Willowbrook Park has six courts, good enough for a 1:10,000 ratio -- a much more 'respectable' percentage.

So, what is a passionate player with a light wallet to do?

"Some people have to [bite the bullet] and come over to the College of Staten Island or other private clubs if they want to play," Carlson continued. "But I know people who go over to New Jersey all the time to play. The public courts are free, and some even have lights."

Carlson singled out Jersey City as a prime location with one area having 25 courts, over half of which are lighted. Night tennis is impossible on the Island unless players bring their own spotlights.

The former CSI standout believes that part of the problem is planning.

"You put two courts in here or there, and it's not really enough," he said. "You need to put at least four courts up in a place to make it a viable location for people to go to."

He added that the Parks Department should consider those facts when finalizing the plans for the renovated Fresh Kills landfill.

For the time being, Carlson would be happy if the local public high schools would unlock their gates, at least during the summer.

"I don't see why they can't be opend to the public," he stated. "I don't see anyone using the courts in Sunnyside at Petrides or in Huguenot at Tottenville sometimes. The courts are there. Why let them just go to waste?"